Why Nissan Bought Someone 4,500 Ladybugs

Flickr/James P. MannOf all the places you'd expect a large corporation to go trying to make friends, Reddit would be one of the most risky locales you could imagine. Its famously clever users don't suffer fools gladly, and they're absolutely merciless when it comes to people or companies they find patronizing (just ask Woody Harrelson).

The partnership was brokered by the agencies TBWA\Chiat\Day LA and Digital Arts Network LA.

The stunt was a success, at least as far as winning the hearts and minds of the people who interacted with Nissan in the thread. Most of the responses to Nissan's community managers, Ashley and Natalie, were positive, and one Redditor even started a separate "Thanks, NissanUSA" thread in return.

What Nissan's Reddit experience shows is that brands can succeed in even the most hostile of public forums so long as they have an idea of what kind of users they're going to encounter and go in with a clear plan of how they are going to provide those users with value.